


Intersection

by jeroine



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Character Death, Emotional Hurt, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, No Dialogue, One Shot, Other, Short One Shot, Spoilers, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-15 12:22:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16063067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeroine/pseuds/jeroine
Summary: -- THIS CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE MANGA! PLEASE TAKE CAUTION!--A one shot that takes place shortly after Volume 19 and touches a bit on the epilogue Garden of Light.(Please read the end notes and please don't attack me.)





	Intersection

The sun almost dipped downward, filling the sky with a beautiful scarlet hue that towered over the buildings in New York. It was one moment where the open streets first turned darker, though it did not deter any passerby’s eyesight to traverse through. The national library stood firm and beautiful against the light, thereby further obscuring someone lying breathless on the side of the library with the dumpsters.

  
The dead man went by the name of Lao Yen Thai, the right hand man and older half-brother of Sing Soo Ling. Deep in the man’s heart, a grudge used to swell. He did not learn to understand and forgive the person who had killed their former leader, Shorter Wong. Apparently, the deed was done to “free” him, but from what? Nobody had the gall to explain everything to him, not that Lao would have listened at this point. Without Sing nor any other eye to deter Lao, the Chinese man took matters in his own hands and deliberately thrust his knife in Ash’s side when the American had been the least aware. Lao also sustained the same wound, limping back to the side while clutching the wound.

  
It was beside the dumpsters where Lao Yen Thai slumped himself, still seething with a fiery rage for the young American gang leader. Why did he not see it coming? What was in that letter that softened his instincts? His cold heart could not comprehend what Ash was feeling. It was just so stupid. Thinking more about Ash’s lack of awareness fueled the rage within him, which he carried with him when he drew his final breath.  
-

  
The sun completely dipped downward, approaching the closing hours of the library. Though the librarian who went by the name of Lea had tried to wake him earlier, a blonde man remained “asleep” on his chair. He was “asleep” with his head down, securing pages of a letter that had been bloodied from an earlier encounter. Lea thought the young man had been dreaming soundly about something good, so she left him to savor it.

  
A nagging concern began sinking itself in after Lea saw the young man asleep on the same spot as the closing hours approached. The light from the window shone on him like earlier, though faint. Nevertheless, Lea decided to try and nudge him awake, not knowing that the young man was a heavy sleeper.

  
As the woman thought about giving up, another nudge sent him falling back to the side. The letter he had been securing scattered about, softly landing next to the man. Lea turned pale with terror once she had seen him on the floor. The breathless young man seemed to have been bleeding for hours, signified by the blood on the man’s coat. Suppressing a scream, she immediately alerted nearby authorities after she had gathered the pages of the letter promptly.

  
She spent time reading the letter as she waited for the police to come. The letter was written for the dead young man and from the way it was written, it must have come from his lover. From how the writer’s sentences were worded, the young man, whose name was revealed to be Ash, had been fighting his battles alone. Ash seemed to have suffered much hardship without anyone to fall back on (anymore). It seemed as if he had never gotten to witness true love. But remembering the young man’s smile when he “slept”, hot tears streamed down on Lea’s face knowing that the young man had died aware of finally being loved by someone unconditionally. So that was what he was thinking about. She was careful not to stain the letter with her own tears.  
-

  
It did not take long for the police to arrive in the evening and see the body of Ash on the library floor. The investigation team set up its instruments immediately around the dead man. A man who went by the name of Charlie sat beside Lea, asking careful and tact questions about Ash to aid in the investigation. The woman noticed in the detective’s expression throughout the interrogation a certain sadness, one that indicated that he had seen Ash before. Additionally, it indicated a certain closeness between the two. He confirmed this after the questioning was done and began telling her about the young man’s past escapades.

  
It was in this way that she learned of Ash’s leadership as the leader of one of the most prominent street gangs in New York and his ties to the Corsican mafia. It was in this way that she learned of his personality as a smart and cold person though he seemed to have known of love and kindness. More than that, however, she did not learn.

  
She simply wept again in silence.  
-

  
The sun had peeked itself up on the sky, giving it a mixture of scarlet and pink to indicate a new dawn. Everything had been cleaned up the following night, with Lea witnessing firsthand the authorities delivering Ash’s covered corpse in the van. The letter she had read was slotted under Ash’s cold hands on his abdomen, begging the authorities to let the letter stay with him as much as possible. She did not know the exact reason why, but she felt in her heart that it would be right. She had taken a long glance of the departing vehicle before finally shutting off all the library lights and going home with tears in her eyes.

  
This was the time that Yut-Lung Lee informed Sing of Ash’s death in the hands of the latter’s half-brother and lieutenant. How the womanlike Chinese boy had gotten this information was not a top question in Sing’s mind, but rather a bunch of why’s. Why did Lao do this? Why did Ash leave himself open and unaware? Why? For a 15-year-old boy, this kind of news devastated him though he was careful not to lose his composure. With the aid of Yut-Lung’s men, the younger Chinese boy was taken to where Ash was. Yut-Lung himself did not go with him.

  
Meanwhile, after the sun had made its comeback in the sky once more, Eiji Okumura and Shunichi Ibe landed to New York once again. They flew after the younger Japanese man, though still injured, had insisted to go back despite having gotten home. Eiji could not help but feel as if something had gone wrong the moment he left and by flying back, he had to confirm it.

  
The first thing the two men did was to find Charlie, as if they flew to New York to make that street gang report again. Eiji laughed quietly at the thought, though his heart remained in great unease. Ibe took note of this unease, pushing his assistant’s wheelchair gently forward to meet Charlie.

  
The detective was surprised to see the two Japanese men again, though his expression melted into that of melancholy once his eyes landed on Eiji. He knew in an instant who they were looking for, silently shaking his head slowly. It only pushed the younger Japanese man to demand for answers, with Ibe stopping him from getting off the wheelchair.

  
When Charlie declared Ash’s death, Eiji did not say anything. He had experienced earlier receiving news of his friend’s death after the duel with Arthur months ago. At the time, Eiji had conviction that he was alive and the news report was covering up something bigger. To Eiji’s relief, he had been right about the fake death. Right now, he had that same conviction to back himself up, hoping to fate that Ash would still be alive. However, hearing it personally come out from Charlie made another part of Eiji hurt, as there was something about the news being told in person that seemed true. He wished that the bad feeling he felt that sent him back to New York was not because of this.

  
Charlie decided to drive the two men somewhere to show where Ash was. Eiji remembered driving a car on his own volition to get Ibe and Charlie off of his friend. He did not know what to feel of this memory now after hearing the detective’s news. As the three stepped closer to the morgue, Eiji slowly began to acknowledge the possibility of his wish falling on God’s deaf ears. Tears welled up on the corner of his wide-eyes as he made out Sing’s figure sitting nearby the morgue room.

  
Both of them had seen each other with wide eyes of surprise, but neither of them said any word. A sad understanding look and a gentle pat on the shoulder from Sing was all it took to confirm Eiji’s worst fear. Ash was truly gone. The realization then made the Japanese man spring off of his wheelchair, shocking Ibe and Charlie as they tried to put him back. They were met with protests from a limping Eiji, who was adamant to quickly enter the morgue and desperate to see his friend again.

  
As he opened the door to the morgue, he instinctively approached the body in the middle part of the room first. He read the tag that was hanging on the nearest body’s big toe. The body belonged to Ash, whose name on the tag was “Aslan Jade Golzine” to signify his legacy as the next leader of the Union Corse. As Eiji read on, he learned that Ash had died in the national library due to excess bleeding from a stab wound on his lower left region. However, what shocked him more was the date of death. It was the day when he and Ibe flew back home; yesterday. He did not read further than that.

  
Ibe, Charlie and Sing stood by the door, all of them understanding enough to give Eiji his space. A worn look filled with melancholy were etched in their faces. Sing was beforehand informed of the murderer, his half-brother, and solemnly told Eiji this. The young boy’s half-brother was met with an array of curses from Eiji, the most innocent person who had caught himself in the whole chaos of Banana Fish.

  
Eiji’s sobs and sniffles echoed in the morgue, his head downcast as he noticed his letter beneath Ash’s cold feet. He took the letter out, discovering specks of blood on the pages. He let his hot tears fall on his own letter to Ash, the raven-haired man’s figure slumping down so he was on his knees at the foot of the metal bed. At this time, he did not mind the throbbing pain from his healing gunshot wound. This was far worse than what he himself endured.

  
He set the letter down on the floor beside him, staring at his lap as his fingers tangled with his soft hair in a distressed way.

  
He let out an agonizing scream.

  
All that the others could do was listen.

  
-  
At 21 years old, Eiji Okumura had graduated from college. It had not been as memorable as his graduations from grade school and high school.

  
At 24 years old, Eiji Okumura had successfully gotten a permanent residence visa in New York. His things had been packed and he had embraced his family goodbye, though he had still felt lost.

  
At 28 years old, Eiji Okumura had led on a successful career in photography. This was when he had decided to exhibit a photo of Ash, but still he had felt bereaved of someone he loved.

  
At 31 years old, Eiji Okumura had held on to his favourite photo of Ash on his death bed. He had a peaceful smile when he drew his last breath.

**Author's Note:**

> Please take this as a form of vent writing.  
> I'm still in grieving after losing one of my loved dogs in an untimely manner.  
> She was the youngest and happiest one.
> 
> College is also becoming more burdensome as well.
> 
> Also, Dance Again will be updated shortly.  
> Thank you so much for reading my (crap) writings). :")


End file.
